The Challenges Of Lateral Moves
Like doctors, lawyers, and other regulated industries, policing is considered a profession. And like any other profession, officers must be trained and certified to perform their jobs.
Certification requirements for criminal justice workers often differ slightly from state to state, so law enforcement or corrections certificates don’t easily transfer. Minimum age and other basic requirements can be different as well. Just because youre eligible to be certified in one state, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you can get certified in another.
You’ll probably have to receive more training and pass that states officer certification exam to be eligible to work.
Many certifying entities offer equivalency-of-training programs that allow you to demonstrate proficiencies in the high-liability areas of Defensive Tactics, Firearms, First Aid, and Vehicle Operations. You can then take the state officer certification exam after attending the program. But some jurisdictions or agencies might require that you attend an entire police academy all over again.
Why Join The Wheaton Police Department
The Wheaton Police Department is an agency whose professional environment is second to none. In addition to the competitive pay and benefits listed above, we are a progressive department that awards assignments and career development opportunities based on skills, attitude, and aptitude. Not only does this increase the frequency of opportunities for our officers, but it fosters job satisfaction, helping them to achieve their professional goals for a long and fulfilling career.
Phase : Background Investigation
Phase 4
Phase 4: Background Investigation
Portland Police officers are entrusted with the responsibility to keep our city safe and maintaining community trust. We want to ensure every police officer has been through a thorough background investigation. Sometimes this can take weeks or months. We appreciate how difficult this wait can be please know that we have done extensive work to our process to ensure that it is thorough, but completed in a timely manner.
During the background process, an investigator will take your personal history statement form and contact your current and prior employers, relatives, and personal references. The investigator will check your employment history, credit status, driving record, criminal history, police contacts and other pertinent information necessary to conduct a thorough investigation.
It is important to be completely honest with your background investigator. Police officers are held to a high standard of integrity and must be credible witnesses. Negative spots in your background will not necessarily result in failing your background however, deliberate misrepresentation, falsifying or omitting information will most likely result in permanent disqualification and you will be ineligible to re-apply.
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Are Less Than Lethal Force Options Banned
If use of force options such as chemical munitions, less-lethal munitions, or electrical control devices have been eliminated by local government officials, eliminate that agency from your target list. The people who leave police officers with few less than lethal force options are the same ones who will persecute officers who are forced then to use deadly force justifiably even when there are no grounds to prosecute them.
Look for an agency that offers not only de-escalation technique training, but also a wide range of options for those times when words fail.
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What Kind Of Training Is Offered
A major consideration for anyone changing departments would be to discover how much training is required on entry-level and how much ongoing training is done by the department after you are hired. An agency that cares about its officers physical, emotional and legal survival is an agency committed to ongoing quality training in all law enforcement disciplines.
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Making The Right Decision
You might want to transfer your criminal justice job to another state or jurisdiction because of issues like better pay, different working conditions, or family considerations, but it’s not something to be taken lightly. Make sure that transferring to another department is the right decision for you and your family, and do your homework.
Talk to talk to officers who currently work in the jurisdiction you’re considering, if possible. Gauge their job satisfaction. And research the benefits package being offered. Make sure you really are going to come out ahead if you make a change.
No One Wants To Be A Cop Anymore
Despite how much we keep hearing it, it isnt true. This statement baffles Dr. John Sullivan, an expert in recruiting, hiring and retention, who says: You want to find someone who wants to be a cop? Start speeding.
There are 800,000 officers in the United States alone. Never mind looking for someone who wants to be a cop. Its easy to find a good cop who would be a great fit for your agency.
Think of all the interactions we have with other cops: training, joint initiatives and my favorite: career fairs. Networking is no longer in the context of Ill look you up if Im ever in town. Now its You seem squared away. My agency and community would be lucky to have you.
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Why Officers Make Lateral Transfers
Any time an officer is looking to change agencies mid-career, a new employer is going to want to know why they want to leave their old outfit. Sometimes the motive is external. The officers spouse wants to move for a new job, or a child needs special education or medical treatment that isnt available near the old employer. Dworak pointed to a rationale that people dont leave their jobs as much as they leave their bosses. Law enforcement agencies are notoriously political, and a good officer may have simply gotten on the wrong side of a political struggle. An officer who is professionally stifled in one environment might excel in another.
Cops are leaving the profession in droves because of a toxic political environment. It’s lack of support, it’s lack of pay and benefits, it’s training opportunities, forced overtime, canceled time off, letting people making deals that they’re currently under some type of internal investigation, Dworak noted. Once they leave, the investigation stops. The officer might have been cleared in the end, but aware they would be under a cloud for the rest of their career.
We are looking for dedicated, team-oriented individuals to join our team. Starting wage range for lateral transfer police officers is $63,206 – $73,947, depending upon experience and qualifications. Learn more and apply today at .
Johnston Police Department – Iowa
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Lateral Department Transfers For Police
A lateral transfer involves moving from one law enforcement agency to another at the same pay grade. Police recruiters are often asked about the possibility of lateral transfers from one agency to another. Recruits want to know if police officers, corrections officers, and other certified officers can easily move jobs between departments, jurisdictions, or even from one state to another.
The idea seems simple enough. Plenty of people can find another position in their chosen field in the private sector with relative ease. Workers can easily get hired in new cities, counties, states, or sometimes even countries for most government jobs as well, simply by establishing that theyre the best candidate for the job.
It’s not quite that simple with law enforcement, however.
Transferring To The United States
Dual citizenship can be a requirement if youre thinking about transferring to the U.S. from another country. Youll be required to be a U.S. citizen in most cases to work in certified criminal justice careers, so youll have to spend some time in the country working at another job and toward naturalization before you can be eligible to get certified.
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Police Officers Guide To Lateral Transfers
Helpful
What happens when your current employer becomes a bad fit? In a police officer’s case, they can shop around for a police department that will better fit their needs using something called a lateral transfer.
Today, fully trained and experienced police officers are in high demand in many departments. If an officer is unsatisfied with their current department, a lateral transfer might be the officer’s best move. This can be either in-state or out-of-state. In-state transfers are generally easier and quicker than out-of-state moves.
A lateral transfer is when a sworn police officer leaves one police agency to work for another, usually at the same or greater rate of pay. In most non-police jobs, workers move from one job to another until they find the perfect fit. Doctors move to different hospitals and lawyers jump from one law firm to another, but until recent years, most police officers landed one police job and simply stayed. They were either content with their position or worked hard to climb the promotional ladder. Lateral transfers have begun to provide officers with more options and opportunities.
What Will Your Wages Be
You may initially take a cut in pay to make a move. If this is the case it should be an acceptable entry-level living wage. In some cases, however, a cut in pay may be offset by a lower cost of living in the area you are moving to.
Want a new and challenging career? We have several openings for police officers. Starting pay is $45,000 for certified officers and up to $50,648 for lateral transfer officers. Not certified, we will send you through the police academy. Apply at:
Liberty, Missouri Police Department
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How Lateral Thinking Can Help You Hire Cops
If good officers are leaving your agency, find better ones from other departments
This is the fifth in an ongoing series providing tips and best practices law enforcement agencies can deploy to improve police officer recruitment. In the last article, we set the record straight on law enforcement retention. Email your police recruitment tips to .
If your agency thinks poaching from other agencies is an unfair play, its time to start thinking rationally.
Lateral transfers may be the answer to the on-going recruiting, hiring and retention crisis now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and political climate. If good officers are leaving your agency, find better ones from other agencies.
Dont Wait For Them To Come To You
Have you ever thought to recruit the Officer of the Year from a neighboring jurisdiction? How about recruiting officers who save lives?
In the past few years, Ive listened to award citations at the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police Conference. Ive heard everything from cops performing CPR to pulling a resident from a burning house to uncommon valor in the line of duty. It seems to me that any of those officers would serve my community well.
Looking to fill your applicant pool with females and minorities who buy-in to this profession so much they will try to convince other people to be cops? Go to the next career fair and check out the other law enforcement booths .
I dont attend career fairs to hire students and veterans I give presentations to those groups directly. I spend my time at career fairs meeting the 1-5 year officers the other 36 agencies sent. After 5-10 minutes of gathering intel and building rapport the conversation takes a dramatic turn when I say theyll make $23/hr and work 4-on-4-off-then-5-on-3-off 10-hour shifts. If youre ambitious, check the list of agencies attending and do your homework beforehand.
Welcome Officer Thomas Bamforth. Officer Bamforth is the newest addition to the Clarksville Police Department. He is a lateral transfer from Charlestown Police Department, he comes with a wealth of experience including Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. #CPD
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What To Look For
Like any job, there are a myriad of factors to take into consideration for someone contemplating a transfer, especially for officers moving out-of-state. Make sure to think about some of these factors before you decide whether or not a department is right for you.
The structure and leadership of the department are always very important. Is the department progressive and run by a strong ethical leader?
Are the salary, benefits and cost of living the same, better or worse than the current department?
What is the attitude of the citizens toward police in the community? Many suburban communities have a reputation for valuing and respecting their police officers.
Are officers able to complete their work without being micro-managed or investigated constantly?
What is the quality of life within the community and the quality of the schools in the area?
What is the morale of the officers on the street like?
What are the opportunities for specialty assignments, such as street crimes, narcotics, detectives or crash investigators?
How will the officer’s years of police experience be taken into consideration, and how will the move affect the officer’s pension?
The climate of the new area is also an important consideration. Does the officer prefer the year-round hot, sunny days of Florida, the two hundred days of rain in Washington state or the colder temperatures of Alaska?
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Why It Makes Sense For Departments
Hiring an experienced police officer can be a real cost-saving measure by a small or mid-sized department. Between the police academy and the Field Training Officer Program , it takes at least a year to train a police officer in everything, from the basics of using police handcuffs to advanced de-escalation techniques. It can then take another two to five years before the officer is fully proficient and able to handle difficult cases. Next, there’s the cost of officers washing out in the academy or during the Field Training Program. By the time an officer is fully trained and experienced, the department may have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary, benefits, expenses and FTO time.
The ability to circumvent these costs and hire an experienced officer with five or more years of service becomes quite attractive. However, the department will have to do its due diligence in investigating the officer. No one wants to inherit another department’s problem.
There is an argument to be made that working one year in a busy, high-crime city is like working three in a suburban community with a lower crime rate. City cops become quite attractive, provided they have a relatively clean disciplinary record.